What Kind of Sourcebooks Suit YOUR Fancy?

[Of_Monkeys]

Hmm...well that depends on what aspect of the Battletech universe I am dealing with.

If I am dealing with the Board Game: Tech Readouts, they give me new playing pieces to fight with (Battletech = Chess, with guns) and usually just enough information to flavor the Battletech universe.

If I am dealing with the Role Playing Game: Sourcebooks, NOT pre-made adventures. Give me enough material to work with and I shouldn't need anything laid out for me. Keep it vague enough to leave room for improvisation on my groups part.

[Talz]

One of my votes was for Era Reports, mostly because it was the only one to mention RPG info, always glad to see more ATOW material!

[Khan Jade Wolf]

It would be good to have House Field Books of even the Lesser Houses rule the IS!

[Red Pins]

...A quick interjection - a return to fact-based third-person reporting.  Enough of the jihad rumor-based RPG books, already.

[monty]

Field Manuals & Historicals.

Personally I would love to see a full set of Field Manuals for the start of Dark Ages but as thats not going to happen maybe a FM Updates style book.

Brush Wars was 1 of my favourite books & I would love to see something similar done covering a number of minor conflicts such as Operaton Guerrero, the Capellan conquest of St Ives, the Marian wars (conquest of Lothians & Illyrians, fighting with Circinus Federation) or the succession war era Taurian-Canopian war.

...A quick interjection - a return to fact-based third-person reporting.  Enough of the jihad rumor-based RPG books, already.

Have to agree with this.  Occasional in-character snippets (which can be false) in sidebars add depth to the universe but the jihad books took this too far. I like definite information.

Anything along the lines of Wars of Reaving would be welcome. It was superb.

[AnejoDave]

I very specifically did NOT vote for TROs, I think we have a unit saturation right now and don't need another TRO for a while.  Yes, I know 3095 is coming out reasonably soon, but I think holding off on anymore is a good plan. 

I want to see more Era Reports and Historicals, sine as a Demo Agent I can use the Era Report games to make a quick and dirty campaign for players, and I always love a good Historical.

I think this man knows what he is talking about because I agree with him. :p

[EricJ]

I think this man knows what he is talking about because I agree with him. :p

Agreed... there's more than enough to go around as it is...

[Shijima_3085]

...A quick interjection - a return to fact-based third-person reporting.  Enough of the jihad rumor-based RPG books, already.

It has its place, especially with a lack of novels.  But there does need to be a summary of hard, known facts at later intervals.  Otherwise, while the fact checkers may have access to the whole or major pieces of what happened, the rest of us will be left scratching our heads to the point of having to constantly clarify many points through the "Ask the writers/developers" boards.

[silentsilver]

I too agree with the overuse of perspective-based 'factual' writing.  It can be fun and frightfully clever if used well, but it was massively overdone with the Jihad which left me feeling detached and not wanting to bother caring about events. That contributed pretty strongly to my not giving a hoot about that period, then not forcing myself to dig and learn, thus returning me to 3025-3060 for the shooting goodness. Besides, the "basic" weaponry makes the game feel more tactical and more fun.

So in relation to that, and in personal preference only without judging anyone who feels otherwise, I've no interest in anything that's come after the Jihad period.  More information on the pre-clan sphere and periphery and clan invasion periods would be my choice.

[Cyc]

Plot and Historicals please

I sooner expect BTech to die than Technical Readouts to stop being released, and while Era Reports are nice they are rather too brief (and rehashy of existing books using the present examples).

[drakensis]

I'd like to see the plot move forwards a bit - finish bridging to the Dark Age and then perhaps see what CGL can make out of Dark Age.

Similarly more coverage of the great events of Battetech history would be interesting.

[Terminax]

My poll choices were historicals and plot source books.

I prefer the details gathered in large chunks offered by historicals and plot source books. While I do like the smaller PDF exclusive books and all they offer, I like it better when they compliment the big books rather than replace them. I'd liken it to the difference between a turkey dinner with all the fixings versus a candy bar when you're really hungry. With the dinner you feel full and you have plenty of leftovers to pick over later while the candy bar takes the edge off it tends to leave one wanting more soon after. Both types can cover everything, from fluff to crunch.

I desperately want the game to move forward, beyond the Jihad and the Dark Age and back into unknown territory. The Jihad and the Wars of Reaving were a step in the right direction. The universe became sterile, with cookie cutter characterization during the Wizkids Mechwarrior era and honestly, the fiction was for the most part terrible. It has been a trial, waiting for things to turn around and I never thought the Jihad could be made appealing but you guys have done it. At the same time, there is tons to explore in the "past" of Battletech. The First and Second Succession Wars have tons of potential and while the Third and Fourth Succession wars have been the focus of the past, there's probably allot to work with in there to. The RPG really needs support too.

Though I've supported the Turning Point and XTRO series, only the XTRO series is of real interest to me. I'd like to see a series similar to the XTRO covering lost or rare equipment from across the historical eras. You could easily spread units from all factions in each "issue" so there's something for everyone from the regular game to the RPG. Another PDF exclusive series, could be a tour of the universe, with three to five worlds highlighted with every issue, including their battleforce maps and BT RPG information though I'm guessing those battleforce maps are expensive and with it being a niche product... probably not economically possible. The only part of the TP series that worked for me were the maps and planet information... great use for campaigns.

[Col.Hengist]

 1) historicals because i am a history buff and even tho it's in the future, it is the current time lines past and it gives a more in depth detail of what exactly happened and who was involved.If i want to play in an era i want to do it right...that being said i still don't mind making stuff up too because i have a good imagination.

 2) FM's because i like getting up to date info.

 Both series have been outstanding to me. I would love to have more of them.

[DaveMac]

Historicals and TROs for me

[martian]

I am not much interested in Historicals. We must look forward!

TROs as the second choice.

[tzu13]

First choice was easy: plot sourcebooks (with a strong preference towards factual ones). Books like the Jihad series are a nice change of pace, but I can only accept them if they are accompanied by some cold, hard facts. Book after book filled with nothing but sidebars? Not so enjoyable. More WoR, less JHS.

As for the rest:

TRO's: Did not get my vote. As others have pointed out, I feel like we are very nearly over-saturated with these. Yes, I will buy a new one without hesitation, but there have been so many as of late (including XTRO's) that there is just not enough time to familiarize oneself with the new units and how they fit into the universe before the next one is released and this process begins anew. It would be nice if I (and the RS writers) had time to properly catch up.

FM's: Did not get my vote because, unless a new, fairly stable faction has been created (GB Dominion, Raven Alliance, RotS, etc.), I feel these are covered fairly well by the Field Reports and Objectives series.

Era Reports: While they provide a nice summary for those who may have passed over/missed out on an era, this is about what suits my fancy, so no vote from me.

Thus, my second choice is Historicals. No reason we can't go both forward and backward in time.  ;)






...Oh, and if I could have a third choice, it would be for Other - Interstellar Operations. O:-)

[mechwarriorgarya]

Era Reports and Historicals

I wouldn't mind Field Manuals in the vein of the Update field manuals that would be focused on a particular era. (Obviously Mercs:Sup2 provides rules for adjusting Field Manual units to alternate eras) but something that provides deployment maps and charts during various particular historical periods would be helpful.

This of course may be more suited to a pdf release as a sort of Historical Field Report series or what not.

[cislunar]

Historicals and Plot sourcebooks, on the strength of the last few years worth of both.

Historical: Klondike, Historical: Reunification War, Wars of Reaving, and JHS: Terra are all excellent products, all multi-faction, and as each one comes along it proves to be even better than the last. The two categories can and do compliment each other. Klondike and Reaving book-end the history of the Clans, showing how these two types of product can create synergies- Reaving is a better product because Klondike exists. Klondike and Reaving are better because Blake Documents exists (even if it is still all only canon rumor).

The Catalyst folks are doing great things with these types of products, and cannot be encouraged enough to do more along the same lines...

Like a Star League Civil War/Liberation of Terra Historical, nudge, nudge.

[Warpimp]

More rulebooks dealing with running a unit and logistics.

But my votes went to era reports and historicals.

[Fat Guy]

Technical Readouts and Plot Sourcebooks.

[BirdofPrey]

I generally consider TROs to be a separate category from sourcebooks.  TROs are about the equipment, and sourcebooks are all about filling in the fluff for people who want a story to blow stuff up by.
===
Anyways.  I like Era reports since they do a great job of expanding the RPG aspect (for me the additional tracks and other RPG stuff acts like a TRO for ATOW by providing more options).

I also like the Field Manuals, since they give a more concentrated eye on the factions themselves, where historicals and era reports focus more on the events.

[bblaney]

TRO and Plot Sourcebooks, imo.

I will buy and all they make of those.

Mind you I buy everything they make anyways, but prefer those the most.

[Rim Worlder]

my vote for "other" is for Planetary details, Factory details ( location, output ), manufacturing facilities and details ( like in the Handbook series ).  Generally the fluff stuff.  I know that books dedicated to this don't sell well but it would be nice to include it, if even in small doses, in products that do sell reasonably well.  I was expecting something along these lines in both the Jihad Terra book and the Historical reunification war but was extreamly disappointed when nothing appeared.

As to the source book details on Terra in the Jihad Terra book,  (for me personally), one of the biggest buildups in recent BT material, great expectations, monumental disappointment.  Haven't read the product since, unlikely to read it again.

[monbvol]

I've certainly enjoyed Era Report 3052 and War of Reaving.  So please sir may I have some more?

[PurpleDragon]

Era reports, Technical readout, basically anything that I can use in the RPG.  One thing I'm working on is a travel times document for each world.  I am trying to stay true to the canon universe by using what I can find in the sourcebooks I do have available, and then using the explorer corps random generation tables for those that I can't find elsewhere.  A book, or part thereof, would be great such that every canon world would then have a canon travel time and star type. 

[atlask]

I like everything.. so what ever the masses want I will go for..

[Jerrard]

For me its historicals and plot scourcebooks. I do also like FM but mostly read them for the units fluff.

[Peacemaker]

I would also love to see more books like Masters and Minions, though I'm not sure which category that would fall under.

[Ghost Legion]

I voted Historicals and Other...

The other that I am talking about is a massive strategy board game along the lines of the old "Succession Wars". 

Only I would like it to be a lot more in-depth.  Having counters for individual regiments, and smaller zones.

Honestly, it would be better as a CPU game, but since it is unlikely that the company with the rights to making such a game are slim, then a board game would be a welcome second choice.

If this is a no go, then my second choice would have been Field Manuals.

[Sid]

TROs sell. Plain and simple. And, let's be honest, the histories and snippets we get with them make them interesting in so many ways.

Exactly.  So I didn't vote for TROs- that doesn't mean I want to see less TROs, but I think the rate we've been getting them is just fine as is.  I don't think they need to be sped up.

Personally, I voted Historicals, because I like the approach and filling in the back history.  With the jump to 3150, MW:DA could be 'historical' as well.  Especially things that occurred between the Jihad and the blackout (Second Bear/Combine war, for example.  The initial Liao incursion etc.)

I also greatly enjoy the plot books- but assuming in 2013 or 2014 we're set in 3150... I think the setting has to be established first before plot advances. 

So I voted 'Other'.  I realize things like Handbooks are specialized and unlikely to see print.  Doesn't mean I wouldn't want to see more of them- I've bought in DTF the Handbooks that were published (Steiner, Marik, Davion- I'll nab Liao and Kurita once released).  I think a Handbook Republic would be fantastic if it still exists in 3150, and will continue to be a part of the storyline there on out.  The original Clan Wolf sourcebook lost a lot of pages for the TOE, as did the Falcon sourcebook.  A Clan Handbook for 3150 would be really great as well, especially as the Clans have changed so much now.  A book that updates the six Handbooks from 3067 to 3150 would be an immediate purchase as well.

If that's more Field Manual, however, then throw my vote in there.